Valley finale off to a tea

Baddie actor Norton's verdict on hit Yorkshire crime drama finale

- MARK JEFFERIES

JAMES Norton reckons the incendiary climax of Happy Valley was "sort of perfect".

His villainous character Tommy Lee Royce set fire to himself as 7.5 million viewers tuned in, the most for a drama since Line of Duty's series six finale in May 2021.

Writer Sally Wainwright penned a nailbiting final showdown between Royce and Sgt Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire.

Norton said the domestic setting for Sunday night's climax embodied what made the show so great.

He said: "The ending was sort of perfect, in a Sally Wainwright sort of way. It was fireworks but it wasn't fireworks. It was sitting over a kitchen table and that is where Happy Valley really thrived. That’s the heart of the whole show – cups of tea over kitchen tables in kitchens in Yorkshire.”